Should I level up or stay 52 longer?

[bronislav84]

I have a level 52 locked full Int Mage that I'm supposed to be farming 51 drops with to be able to afford 55 or new 60 gear after expansion, but haven't been playing much. I've been on SL more or just offline, and been thinking lately that it might be time to unlock and get to 55. But first of all I can't afford a 55 set so I'd still be using Shadow, and of course I won't be able to afford the new 60 set in 5/6 more levels of leveling up if I cap for now and skip the 55 set. I have 200 some odd thousand, not enough for anything at 55.

Who has some good advice? Unlock and get to 55/56 then wait for expansion and not get the 55 set or stay 52 and wait for expansion as I've been doing, then hope I get rich enough to afford level 60 items in the 8/9 levels of leveling I will be doing later?

By the way as long as we're here, what kind of ring is recommended for Int Mage? Armor? m/s? Damage? Crit?

[Redbridge]

Crazy idea... create another alt and level that to 55....

[bronislav84]

I've got my bird I could farm with if I go level. My Mage is my main though. That's the question really. Should I unlock my main? I'd be as broke at 55 or 60 as I am now.

[Physiologic]

Why not just level and farm 55 items the whole time? You could've potentially gotten your 55 items for yourself as well as have made great profit off of the 55 drops.

[bronislav84]

Hmm that's a great point. How's being 55 or 56 in Shadow? Frowned upon? I don't die much and I've run every Sewer map a bunch of times in Shadow. Really I only die from trap crits or stupid people who wipe the entire party, and I'm always there fighting. I just don't agro things first because mobs in AO3 and Sewer lag for me, so I wait a bit to jump into a fight until I can see the mobs.

With the expansion upcoming I don't really feel like putting out money on MM and the recipes (I have all the other items already), so if I do get the MM pieces it would be from farming them myself with good company.

Should I just level up and worry about money when I level cap?

Anybody got a good ring suggestion now that I have plat? I've checked out your ring guide Physio, but still can't decide. :(

[SUPAPRODIGY]

Just make another one i would say we all have multiple accounts anyway nothing be braggy about :)

[Formora]

I bought the 2 crit, 2 m/s and 4 damage ring. Seemed like the best choice there.

[sun light]

if u dont have. 2 mil cash on both chars, keep farming.

[SUPAPRODIGY]

Farm farm thats how the CS crashed

[Heyyoucooll]

Um well i have never been rich i think the most money i have had at once was like 300k but im a lvl 55 mage and pretty strong if u want to know wht equipment i use add me
Ign: TheGandhi

[sun light]

so yea, farm! i need to have 2 sets, one on each char, and 2mil cash.
that is a good case.
altho 1 mil woth 2sets is ok.
im farming for a month and ive got from the farming mm set gemstone staff lvl 51 and 2 mil cash.
ant i think im comming ready for the update lol
btw... i think lvl. 51 items will never crash, myb lvl. 55 crash lol

[friedkimchi]

Honestly, if you want to spend countless hours farming, by all means. Merchanting is the way to go. Easy money in less than 8 minutes.
But I do have to thank the countless people who slog it out for pinks.

Do people even buy those lvl 51/53 pinks? Seems like a limited market. The lvl 55 pinks' prices seem to be picking up though, after the epic crash when the new expansion was announced.

I personally don't play much, except maybe for a quick run to pass the time while I'm cooking or waiting for my next class.

[Herozheng]

Why not just level and farm 55 items the whole time? You could've potentially gotten your 55 items for yourself as well as have made great profit off of the 55 drops.

well , lv51~53 item sell for good money not only pinks , but red or green item are selling very nice price compare with lv55 trash drop , i was plan to lock my bear at Lv51~52 cuz my bear can solo most part of sewer get drop from all the mini boss (after i go duel bear can solo kitting most big boss too) , the low lv item make good money , but there many way to make gold , i never short on gold and always buy the best item for my chat before they reach the item lvl , and that's gives all the motivation to lvl up all my chat asap to wear those high end gears

now i still got more then 10 million gold on me , and nothing need to buy any more .... maybe just play trade in CS to make more gold ?

also an other reason to lock at lv51 is you still can go OS III to farm kills , there is some ppl in game got very high Pve kill # , that is how they got it , but i feel bored in that way , so i decide not to lock my bear's lvl even knows my bear can solo sewer at low lvl , mage and bird can't solo sewer at low lv , make no sense to cap them at lv52 after alll .......

[bronislav84]

Mage and bird cannot really solo sewer, but it's meant to be done with dedicated 52 farming parties Hero. That's how I earned enough for my Shadow set. Because level 51 drops are actually all sellable, while at 55 I'd only be making money off of the pinks.

Level 48-52 get level 51 drops which are all sellable and can be resold when people are done with them. Level 53/54 get level 53 drops which are all basically junk. Level 55/56 get 55 drops which only pinks are really worth anything.

So I'm poised to level with Register in 2 hours. Am I making a bad decision? I'll still be broke at 55 and wearing Shadow, probably to 60.

[Herozheng]

not get aggro means you don't do much damage ,as a wand mage usually didn't aggro on boss fight in sewer , but at trash clean fight as a high aoe damage class mage got aggro all the time , i wear shadow set from lv50 ~lv54 , shadow glow stick set is a very balance set , but at lv55 there is more powerful set like MM set and enchant set , of course you can still wear shadow set to play save , but for my mage my goal is be come a most useful mage in game , so i bought MM staff set at lv52 , and craft it in to enchant set immediately ...

with good skill you will not die too much in staff set , but your aoe are way powerful then another set in game , only down side is still kid of slow on boss fight , after few test i switch to hybrid mage (Dex/int) wear custom bow set , lowed aoe power but still good at clean trash mobs (with a lv55+ group ,clean trash never been a problem , and doing much better in boss fight , i got aggro from boss all the time , if tank can't get aggro back just kitting the boss , or heal and mam shield (never mana shield at Queen's fight , just cast heal asap) ... a mage got aggro are better then the bird , cuz bird don't has
mana shield and they can't heal .

also i got custom cross bow too , make myself useful in pvp .

be a useful mage , that is what i want , that is what i do .... never let myself become like a spare tire （like pally) or a Coward ... .......

... never retreat ... never surrender ！

[Herozheng]

I bought the 2 crit, 2 m/s and 4 damage ring. Seemed like the best choice there.

dex ring ( +2 crit / +10 damage) are best one for dps class in pve , you need 67 dex too wear it , but you need some dex after all , all the class need some dex even mage , that helps you to cap hit% in any kid of gear .

[JaytB]

dex ring ( +2 crit / +10 damage) are best one for dps class in pve , you need 67 dex too wear it , but you need some dex after , all the class need some dex even mage , that helps you to cap hit% i any kid of gear .

I don't agree with that statement. A pure int does more skill dmg as compared to when you'd put 67 in dex. Even with the 10 or 11 dmg ring. Hit% isn't an issue for pure INT at end-lvl. I get 98% hit with staf and 99% with wand, and that's without any ring. On top of that, if you're using an enchanted set, your mana regen is already bad. Putting 67 points in dex will make that even worse :)

[Physiologic]

Hmm that's a great point. How's being 55 or 56 in Shadow? Frowned upon? I don't die much and I've run every Sewer map a bunch of times in Shadow. Really I only die from trap crits or stupid people who wipe the entire party, and I'm always there fighting. I just don't agro things first because mobs in AO3 and Sewer lag for me, so I wait a bit to jump into a fight until I can see the mobs.

With the expansion upcoming I don't really feel like putting out money on MM and the recipes (I have all the other items already), so if I do get the MM pieces it would be from farming them myself with good company.

Should I just level up and worry about money when I level cap?

Anybody got a good ring suggestion now that I have plat? I've checked out your ring guide Physio, but still can't decide. :(

The optimal ring for your character is best complimented when your character has end-game gear on and your own build, IMO (regardless of your Platinum status). If you're a full INT mage wearing full MM then something with damage/m/s can work. If you're going hybrid and you're wearing Customized set, then a crit/damage ring would work well.

The other issue with staying at below lv 56 is that you completely lose out on an awesome piece of gear - the no-requirement Crown of Persistence, which will no longer be obtainable once the expansion is released. I would just level and farm for 55 gear at your own pace and if you're willing to get to 56 for the Crown, be prepared to spend a lot of Plat, or a lot of time.

I personally don't even have any end-game pink on minus the Crown of Persistence - I've been using Bagman's armor and auto-bow and have been doing just fine with those (I just sell off any pink loot from Sewers including archer loot). In all honesty, one doesn't really NEED to have end-game gear to be considered a good player. It just depends on how fast your reflexes are and how you manage your skills during battle. You could save a ton of time and effort that way and focus on farming for lv 60 gear when the expansion comes out.

[bronislav84]

But the crown is not a vanity item. It would negate set bonuses wouldn't it?

The definition of end game is relative really. Right now 55 is it but soon 60 will be it. Before 50 I used to wear items for ten levels, sometimes 15. Since 30 I've worn only pinks.

30 - Brain freeze wand "set"
35 - Bone pick wand
45 - Full Isis "set". Yes I wore Brain for 15 levels and really needed to upgrade
50 - Shadow wand set

If 60 was now, I'd skip the 55 items entirely to save money because I'm used to wearing stuff for 10 levels. I've had no trouble in sewer parties with Shadow since I got it. Only times were when soloing to Bank entrance or inside bank getting shot at by all the mobs, really.

So very likely I'd still be in Shadow at 55 all the way to 60 then finally upgrade. I still can't decide on a ring. If I have the time I will probably get the crafted wand set for 55 but can't afford it unless I farm the weapon/shield/hat/armor myself. What's a good ring to go with Shadow?

Oh yea, dunno about 55 sets but Shadow gives me over 100 hit, so don't have accuracy problems.

[Herozheng]

Mage and bird cannot really solo sewer, but it's meant to be done with dedicated 52 farming parties Hero. That's how I earned enough for my Shadow set. Because level 51 drops are actually all sellable, while at 55 I'd only be making money off of the pinks.

Level 48-52 get level 51 drops which are all sellable and can be resold when people are done with them. Level 53/54 get level 53 drops which are all basically junk. Level 55/56 get 55 drops which only pinks are really worth anything.

So I'm poised to level with Register in 2 hours. Am I making a bad decision? I'll still be broke at 55 and wearing Shadow, probably to 60.

just like Kimchi said
"Honestly, if you want to spend countless hours farming, by all means. Merchanting is the way to go. Easy money in less than 8 minutes."

i bought my shadow set at 700k , wear it from lv50~54 , sold it at lv55 for 1.3M , also i bought MM set at 1.1M craft in to enchant set , sold it at lv56 in CS , got more then 2M back .


I don't agree with that statement. A pure int does more skill dmg as compared to when you'd put 67 in dex. Even with the 10 or 11 dmg ring. Hit% isn't an issue for pure INT at end-lvl. I get 98% hit with staf and 99% with wand, and that's without any ring. On top of that, if you're using an enchanted set, your mana regen is already bad. Putting 67 points in dex will make that even worse

i wear enchant staff set from lv55 ~lv56 (it is a very long lvl you know what i mean ... hehe) , i know what is spell power means to a mage , also enchant staff mage are most powerful spell power mage in game , but still i feel powerless in boss fight , a wand mage even more powerless in boss fight , so your spell power are mainly useful on trash clean , is that what you want ? a trash clean queen or king ?

have you been in a group without any bow bird or bow bear , and you know how long it takes to kill a boss with full group of 1h weapon user ? is that not like a pin in the *** ?

every time you see pally or war bird in you pve group , don't you sigh ？

and that is why i become hybrid (int/dex) custom bow mage , has just enough power to clean the trash , and much powerful and useful in boss fight , a all purpose mage !

did you know with custom set and our self buff , mage got 100%+ on crit ? that means crit% is not a chance any more , with our buff on ,all the spell we cast and auto shot are absolutely critical ... i got 50% crit with out buff on , that is make me do way more damage then most wand mage , even in aoe trash clean .

some may say mm wand mage got nice M/s , come on ppl there is free mana pots drop all the time , i only keep 25 mana pot on my mage never run out , before they put a cool down on mana
pot , or change the drop rate on potion , M/s are not a problem for a end game set gear mage .

also that is an other thing you need to know Crown of Persistence is not work with your set , meaning you will lost set bonus if you wear that crown , but it is nice for or all the duel or hybrid class , cuz it is no-requirement so i can put more int pts when i wear a dex set to gain more spell power , also that pic will become a major boots gear for duel builds in the future ....

[bronislav84]

All Int wand mage is survivable DPS/Support. It plays different from bow/staff hybrid. The idea for wand is you're usually the last one standing and lots more DPS than pal, but less than bird or staff user. It's also a type of hybrid.

But seriously this is off topic guys. Based on the info, level or not? What ring?

[Herozheng]

All Int wand mage is survivable DPS/Support. It plays different from bow/staff hybrid. The idea for wand is you're usually the last one standing and lots more DPS than pal, but less than bird or staff user. It's also a type of hybrid.

But seriously this is off topic guys. Based on the info, level or not? What ring?

Sorry about off topic ....

well if you already got a lv56 chat , so lock one of your chat in lv51 or lv52 is fine , but if this chat are your only highest lvl chat , i say keep lvl up .

if you do lock the lvl at lv51 or 52 , did you have a group of friend can go farm with you ? cuz mage can't solo sewer at this lvl (but can solo at lv55 , i did with my staff set and bow set) , also you need boot all the lvl53+ pp out of your group (with a high lvl in group your drop will all become lvl55 item ) , and prepare to be kick from non -friends lv55+ group ,i know most lv55+ group always kick the ppl who under lv53 ,btw i never kick any ppl from my group cuz they lvl is low , so you are welcome to my party any time you want .

about ring , you said you are hybrid and also in shadow set , i been in shadow glow stick set for long time i know that set got 23+ on m/s (depending on how many pts in int) ,so as a hybrid mage i never run out of mana in any fight with non-stop spell cast by wearing this set , you don't really need to add more M/s , if you are a dex/int hybrid i still say +2 crit / 10 damage ring are the supreme choice for yo , cuz in shadow set you never run out of mana and has high survivability （that set has 110+ on armor and 20+ on H/s , if my memory serve me well ) .... look like the only thing you need to add for farm in sewer is more damage power , and that dex ring gives exactly what you need .

also you can share this ring with your archer and bear (if your bear is dex duel or will become one ) . spend you gold and platinum wisely .:anonymous:

[bronislav84]

I see what you're saying but I resolved to stay all int. I tried some dex around level 25 and didn't like it. 67 dex is a lot. Do all the int rings really suck that much?

Shadow gives me close to 30 each on health and mana regen (Forgot exact numbers), so I don't have to pot unless I'm using shield or under heavy fire with health going down quickly through heal. I was thinking something with armor or damage, no?

My mage is my main and the one I enjoy playing the most. I like the surviveable nukemage/support playstyle. Is it time to unlock? Most of my 52 farm buddies have since unlocked or quit.

[JaytB]

just like Kimchi said

i bought my shadow set at 700k , wear it from lv50~54 , sold it at lv55 for 1.3M , also i bought MM set at 1.1M craft in to enchant set , sold it at lv56 in CS , got more then 2M back .



i wear enchant staff set from lv55 ~lv56 (it is a very long lvl you know what i mean ... hehe) , i know what is spell power means to a mage , also enchant staff mage are most powerful spell power mage in game , but still i feel powerless in boss fight , a wand mage even more powerless in boss fight , so your spell power are mainly useful on trash clean , is that what you want ? a trash clean queen or king ?

have you been in a group without any bow bird or bow bear , and you know how long it takes to kill a boss with full group of 1h weapon user ? is that not like a pin in the *** ?

every time you see pally or war bird in you pve group , don't you sigh ？

and that is why i become hybrid (int/dex) custom bow mage , has just enough power to clean the trash , and much powerful and useful in boss fight , a all purpose mage !

did you know with custom set and our self buff , mage got 100%+ on crit ? that means crit% is not a chance any more , with our buff on ,all the spell we cast and auto shot are absolutely critical ... i got 50% crit with out buff on , that is make me do way more damage then most wand mage , even in aoe trash clean .

some may say mm wand mage got nice M/s , come on ppl there is free mana pots drop all the time , i only keep 25 mana pot on my mage never run out , before they put a cool down on mana
pot , or change the drop rate on potion , M/s are not a problem for a end game set gear mage .

also that is an other thing you need to know Crown of Persistence is not work with your set , meaning you will lost set bonus if you wear that crown , but it is nice for or all the duel or hybrid class , cuz it is no-requirement so i can put more int pts when i wear a dex set to gain more spell power , also that pic will become a major boots gear for duel builds in the future ....

Don't want to sound offensive, but I know all that, and I agree on that. I even have a dual int/dex Mage too, on top of my int mage. I was simply saying I didn't agree with the 67 points in dex for pve, I never said anything about dual spec being worthless :)

[Herozheng]

I see what you're saying but I resolved to stay all int. I tried some dex around level 25 and didn't like it. 67 dex is a lot. Do all the int rings really suck that much?

Shadow gives me close to 30 each on health and mana regen (Forgot exact numbers), so I don't have to pot unless I'm using shield or under heavy fire with health going down quickly through heal. I was thinking something with armor or damage, no?

My mage is my main and the one I enjoy playing the most. I like the surviveable nukemage/support playstyle. Is it time to unlock? Most of my 52 farm buddies have since unlocked or quit.

so , i think you should lv up , otherwise will be always a step behind from endgame gear , and there is too many way to earn gold :

potion farm : go to crash keep in OS III , clean the trash mobs with 0 potion on you , you can got 25 on each pot with in like 1 or 2 run ; take a friend with you or do like what i do open a 2ed account on backup iphone or ipod /ipad , bring them with you to help you curry the potion every time you got 25 potion just pass to your friend or your alt on your 2ed account , the chat on your 2ed account also can help you sell staffs like add free CS slot ..... non stop run and kill , you will have more then few hundred of each potion and lots of lv50 green drop , sell the green back to game , make about 100~150 for each of them , the drop rate is very high in there , and sell the potion to the ppl who need it for a good price , most low lvl ppl or high lvl who don't has set gears still very depend on potion , physiologic for example :chuncky:

low lv pink farm : solo sandstone cave 、frozen nightmares 、swamps for low lvl pink and twink gear those can sell very good price too , also hoot hat if you meet that random boss ....

solo farm "bank job" : start a bandit boy hideout game (add password) fight to the daily quest "bank job" side path , its Ez to solo to there , PM me i show you how , once you in that place , there is 2 rooms , pull the mobs one by one to the small room then kill them run in to the big room kill the mini boss after you cleaned 3 elite mobs , PM me if you need me to show you how .... as a pure mage you may need take more time to kill those mobs , but it is still ez for you to solo , run out after you kill the boss and run back in to reset do it over and over again , that mini boss drops gold、potion ， red 、green 、purple items also drop pink recipe for lv55 craft set items .

don't return the quest if you still want go back to solo at the day , if you do return the quest you can‘t enter the entrance again , only way to go back is join some one's game , that is not a save way at most time , and those are the few of solo farm way you can do , if you can't find a farm group some time , also there is many of other way to make money , buy low sell high in CS (if you got good trading skill and some gold to start) .

for the ring ...all the lvl20 rings require 67 dex or str or int to wear , and cost 10 platinum on each ring , so i think you can waiting for the new end game gear come out , too see which ring fit you better .....



Don't want to sound offensive, but I know all that, and I agree on that. I even have a dual int/dex Mage too, on top of my int mage. I was simply saying I didn't agree with the 67 points in dex for pve, I never said anything about dual spec being worthless

look like you are truely a mage lover :emmersed:

[JaytB]

look like you are truely a mage lover :emmersed:

Naa, I only have a 5, 10, 26, 30, 45, 55 and 56 Mage... Mmm, ok ok.. Maybe just a little bit then :D

[flyingscv]

if the reason you're locking is to farm lvl 51 loot, I reckon you might as well unlock now. Prices of 51 gear outside of pink has mostly crashed. I'm regularly selling my 51 loots at 800 to a few k. I also see more and more 52 parties, which means its just a matter of time before cs is flooded with 51 loot, if not already. I still have maybe about 80+ 51 loot I need to sell, and I'm guessing a lot of ppl are too, so like some of the other guys r saying, you're better off just unlocking.

[Bunnyshoota]

hey flying u play sc2?